Jackeline and Alyus
by PrincessPenelliotTheBrave
Summary: Jack and Aly genderbend set in an alternate timeline/universe. Jackeline is just starting her freshman year of highschool at Karai High and hopes it will go better than middle school. Her current goal? To make friends and avoid embarrassing herself. Sounds simple, but nothing seems to go according to plan. Though after meeting Alyus she somehow knows things will work out this time.
1. The Bad Beginning

Jackeline was nervous to be starting highschool. Starting middle school a few years back had begun what seemed would be a never-ending low point in her life, but hopefully with highschool that would change. If she made the right decisions.

As she gazed around the field mostly hidden from view at the top of the parking lot, summer heat beating down upon her, she realized that today would start a new page of her life and everything that happened today would influence the next four years she spent here.

She had had her fourteenth birthday only a week ago, but it seemed like it wouldn't happen for ages yet. And there she was, a shy 6th grader again, awaiting the friendships that never worked out and the popularity that never came to her.

She inhaled deeply and began her descent from the school parking lot down the hill onto the field, and walked across to the front of the school. In her mind these few minutes took forever and no time, and suddenly she was looking up at the doors to her new school, Karai High. Which rhymed.

She internally punched herself in the face for noticing something that dorky. At a time when self-esteem was low, anything could and would set her off balance, tumbling back into the hole of middle school from where she came.

She closed her eyes, tried to relax, and pushed open the door.


	2. Hallways

"Hello, can I help you?"

Jackeline's eyes shot open. Directly in front of her was another, much older, student dressed in a smart white button up shirt and black pants.

"I'm part of Student Government, it is our job to direct any new students to the assembly hall where you will be assigned a homeroom and locker combination." She said cheerfully.

"I-I'm new." Jackeline said feebly.

"Great! If you head down the hallway on your left and then turn right the first door on the left is where you need to be. If you need any more help just ask a student wearing one of these badges." She indicated a small emblem on her chest.

"Thank you." Jackeline said, trying to sound braver than she felt.

She followed the trickling line of students walking towards the assembly hall, glancing around as she went.

On the walls were large framed photographs of students from long ago who had served and died in the army. They looked down at her, some menacing, but most appearing small and lost like her. She looked away.

Jackeline observed the other students, hoping she wouldn't see anyone from elementary or, god forbid, middle school. Half of the students were tentatively taking in their surroundings, the other half were already making new friends and socializing.

Jackeline swallowed her doubt as she walked into the assembly hall, which looked to her more like a repurposed gymnasium than an actual hall. She took out her phone to check the time. 8:46. A minute late. Darn.

She rushed to find a seat among the crowd, not too close to the front, but not too far back either. Unfortunately it seemed like the only seats available were the ones on the other side of the room, and she would have to walk through the sea of freshmen to get there.

It's okay, she told herself. No one is going to pay attention to a single student. No one will remember what she did on the first day.

She breathed in and starting walking down a row trying to get to the empty seat on the end.


	3. The First Disaster

When Jackeline got about halfway down the row the lights in the hall are turned off and she found herself stumbling over someone's shoe. As she fell forward she let out a yell, which interrupted who she assumed to be the principal welcoming everyone to the school.

If that wasn't bad enough, to add insult to injury she landed in the lap of another student. She stayed silent for a moment as she looked up at his startled eyes in the dark.

"It appears as if we've already got some excitement in the audience, haven't we?" The principal chuckled into the loudspeaker.

Jackeline could feel herself blushing and was glad the darkness hid her face.

"Well, I didn't expect it would be this easy meeting new people but here we are." The boy said with an awkward laugh.

She pushed herself off of him and walked away swiftly past the murmuring students. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her.

She sat through the announcements, dreading the rest of the day. If only she had come a few minutes earlier none of this would have happened.

She adjusted her skirt and socks and tried not to look at anyone. Just make it through the next hour, she told herself. There aren't even any classes today. You'll get your schedule and that's it, you can go. Dad will be waiting in the parking lot to pick you up and you can forget about everything.


	4. Homeroom

After the announcements Jackeline was given her homeroom number and directed down another hall.

Her shoes tapped along the tiled floor as she walked, which made her regret wearing heels. Suddenly she felt way too over-dressed. Was she wearing too much makeup? Were her earrings too flashy? She should have stuck to jeans and a t-shirt like usual, what was she thinking? It must be blindingly clear to anyone with half a brain that she was trying too hard to make a good impression.

And here she was at her homeroom, the walk down the hallway now a blur of self-hate and self-pity.

Jackeline pushed open the door and took in the room. About half of the seats were filled, almost all in the middle or the back. Jackeline groaned internally.

She made her way down the second row from the front, taking a spot at the end as if to invite someone to sit in the unclaimed chair next to her.

On the walls were maps detailing trade routes, war zones, population density, and all number of things. At the front of the room was a dry erase board with the name Ms. Vanna written at the top in block letters. A small stack of papers sat neatly on the desk.

The door opened and a couple freshmen guys walked in, chatting. After taking in the quiet atmosphere they started whispering as they walked together to sit at the front.

Jackeline glanced behind her. Most of the students were on their phones, but one guy in the back was intently reading a book.

Oh god, Jackeline thought. That was the guy whose lap she had fallen on in the assembly hall. She looked away quickly.

Just then the door opened again and Jackeline gasped.


	5. March (Me Right Back Home)

In walked a group of girls Jackeline knew from middle school. She recognized the tallest one in particular. She flipped her cascading brown hair over her shoulder. Her name was March Ramsay and she had been one of the most popular kids in Jackeline's grade. She was also the biggest bully, and had specifically targeted Jackeline.

Jackeline quickly turned to the wall and hoped March wouldn't see her.

The girls giggled as they walked in, paying no attention to the downtrodden mood of the room. March was talking very loudly, the rest of the girls huddled around her.

"Oh yeah, he was totally staring at me the whole time and it-"

"Hey, is that Jackie?" One of the girls interrupted.

The room went silent again. Jackeline closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was asleep in her bed at home. She pulled the blanket closer, but all she had in her hand was her phone. Her lifeline.

"Jackie? Jackie from middle school?" March exclaimed.

Jackeline could feel all the girls' eyes on her but chose to ignore it. She figured if she didn't respond maybe they would assume it wasn't her. She took out her phone and pretended to be busy texting.

Please don't come near me, she begged in her mind. Please, please, go away and leave me alone.

She heard footsteps walking towards her and braced herself for the inevitable. She looked up and there was March standing right in front of her.


	6. The Second Disaster?

"It is you!" March said, grinning. "Jackie! How have you been?"

Jackeline was surprised. March was being nice to her? Only last year she had made fun of Jackeline's new backpack and thrown it into oncoming traffic where it got run over. Was this some sort of joke?

"What did you do over the summer?" March asked with what seemed like genuine interest.

"I went camping. With my Dad." Jackeline said timidly.

"Oh that sounds so fun! I love camping." March said with a laugh. "Is anyone sitting here?" She asked, and indicated the seat next to Jackeline.

"N-no." Jackeline stuttered. "No one's sitting there."

March smiled and walked around the desks. The rest of her friends spread out in the surrounding chairs looking at her uncertainly. She straightened her skirt as she sat down.

"I like your outfit. Those earrings look really nice on you." She said to Jackeline.

"Oh, thank you." Jackeline responded, taken aback.

It was like they were old friends.

March leaned over to Jackeline and cupped a hand around her mouth.

"He's cute." She whispered into Jackeline's ear.

"Who?" Jackeline whispered, looking back where March had glanced.

"The guy in the back row. Reading the book."

Jackeline's heart started beating faster. The guy from the assembly. Did March see that? Did she know Jackeline was the one who fell? Did she know he was the one whose lap she had fallen into?

"Yeah, uh," Jackeline coughed, "he is a bit. I guess."

"I hope I have classes with him." She said. "Oh my gosh, I hope we have classes together!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah... me too." Jackeline said, less enthusiastically.

She was still trying to figure out what March was up to. This must be some sort of prank. How could someone go from being a bully with a sworn enemy to treating that same person as their best friend? It made no sense.

As she pondered this the door to the class opened once more.


End file.
